Darwin Nunez – Is he good enough for Liverpool

On 13 June 2022, Benfica reached an agreement with Premier League club Liverpool for the transfer of Núñez for a €75 million fee plus €25 million in add-ons. The following day, the club confirmed the deal, for £64 million, with add-ons potentially taking the overall fee to £85 million at a later date, making him Liverpool’s record transfer. On 21 July in a preseason friendly game, Núñez scored four goals in forty minutes against RB Leipzig. On 30 July, Núñez made his competitive debut for Liverpool in the club’s 3–1 win over Manchester City in the FA Community Shield at the King Power Stadium. He won a penalty, which was converted by Mohamed Salah, and scored his first goal for the club with a stooping header in the fourth minute of stoppage time. On 6 August, he scored his first league goal for Liverpool on his debut against Fulham, which ended in a 2–2 draw. Soon after Núñez’s first games for Liverpool, a chant about him set to the tune of ‘Better Off Alone’ by Alice Deejay was popularised on social media. The following game, he was sent off for violent conduct in a 1–1 home draw against Crystal Palace, having headbutted opponent Joachim Andersen. Núñez later revealed that he had been contacted by compatriot and former Liverpool player Luis Suárez. This was because Suárez wished to advise him about the physicality and the pace of the Premier League, saying “listen to an idiot like me”. Núñez thanked Suárez for his message.[49] On 12 October, Núñez scored his first Champions League goal for Liverpool in a 7–1 away win against Rangers.[50] However, Núñez received criticism during the first half of the season for missing a number of big chances in matches. Núñez was defended by his manager Jürgen Klopp, who stated that his potential was “so obvious” and likened his situation to a former situation of Robert Lewandowski whereby at Borussia Dortmund towards the start of his major career he had similar mixed form. Núñez was awarded the Standard Chartered Liverpool F. C. Men’s Player of the Month in November. By his first 23 games for Liverpool, Núñez had scored 10 goals, one more than both Luis Suárez and Sadio Mané in the same number of games for the club after their arrivals.

On 18 February 2023, Núñez scored his first goal in the new year, opening Liverpool’s 2–0 win home against Newcastle United, thus helping his club become the only team to defeat Newcastle twice during the season after a previous 2–1 victory at St. James’ Park in August. On 21 February, Núñez scored Liverpool’s first goal in a 5–2 home loss to Real Madrid with a flick between his legs in the first leg of Champions League round-of-16. It was calculated in February that Núñez and fellow forward Mohamed Salah were the most productive pairing in the Premier League, creating a chance together every 52 minutes. Owing to strong performances throughout the month, Núñez was awarded the Standard Chartered Liverpool F. C. Men’s Player of the Month again in February, stating upon collecting the award that it was “incredible” to hear his name “being sung by the fans” who he recognised were “always onboard” with him. Núñez’s goal against Real Madrid was followed by a brace against Liverpool’s arch-rivals Manchester United in a historic 7–0 victory on 5 March with Núñez later being described by analysts as having successfully settled into the club. A minor toe injury disrupted some of Núñez’s later game time, with Núñez missing out on three matches owing to this problem. Throughout the whole 2022–23 season, Núñez made 42 appearances and scored 15 goals in all competitions, 9 of such goals coming in the Premier League, as Liverpool narrowly missed out on Champions League qualification.

Has Darwin Nunez 1st season for Liverpool been a success or a failure. We look at the stats and compare him to other strikers in the Premier League. Is Darwin Nunez unfairly treated and made to be a scapegoat by the English Press and rival fans.

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